Aircraft



R..H. GODDARD Y AIRCRAFT Filed Sept. 25, 19:1-

1O Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR r/ //4 NEY! BY ATTOR Jan. 7, 1936.

R. H.' GODDARD AIRCRAFT Filed- Sept. gas, 1951 10 sheets-sheet 2 I I IQVENTOR %r'/(- BY ATTORNEY? Jan 7, 1936. R. H. GODDARD 2,0 6,885 AIRCRAFT Filed Sept. 23,- 1931 1o Sheets-Sheet a BY @ATTQRNEYJ I Jan.7, 1936. R.'H.VGODDARD 2,026,885

AIRCRAFT Filed Sept. 23; 19:51 10 sheets-sheet 4- INVENTOR WV; ffl AH BY ATTORNEY Jan. 7, 1936.

R. H. GODDARD AIRCRAFT Filed Sept. 23, 1931 10 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR f'f BY ATTORNEY-P 1935- R. H. GODDARD 6,8

AIRCRAFT Filed Sept. 23, l 931 10 Sheets-' Sheet 8- aw/a.

i I I i I mvsu'roa 4 ,44 BY; M ATTORNEYS NN T INVENTOYR fr/A l0 SheetsSheet 9 R. H. GODDARD AIRCRAFT File d Sept. 25, 1931 BY 4; ATTORNEY? Jan. 7, 1936.

NN T

Patent ed Jan. I, 1936 j UNITED I STATES PATENT OFFICE Robert H. Goddard, Roswell, N. Mex.- Anplicationseptember 23, 1931, Serial No. 564,503

' Claims. (01. 244-25) Fig. 12 is a sectional view substantially on the This invention relates to aircraft and particularly the heavier than .air type. A

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an aircraft of this type which is simple and practical in construction and which is capable of efficient operation in the stratosphere as well as in the, troposphere.

' Other objects are to enable the aircraft to be driven at very high speeds, to permit the means of propulsion to be changed in flight; to. provide low air resistance particularly when flying at high speeds; to permit change of the form of the aircraft during flight; to protectthe occupants of the aircraft against variation in atmospheric pressure and temperature; to permit the propellers and/or driving engines to be-retracted into the fuselage or wings during flight; to provide improved driving means for the propellers;

and to facilitate the operation and control of the aircraft. Further objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, cfnibinations of elements, and arrangements of parts as will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described; and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown, more or less diagrammatically, the features' of a selected embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a central'v'ertical sectional view substantially on the line |--i of Fig. 2;

, Fig. 2 is a partial front elevation;

Fig. 3 is a partial plan View with the'parts in extended position, portions of the body or fuselage being broken away;

Fig. 4 is substantially that the parts are in retracted position;

I Fig. 5 is a detail longitudinal sectional view of the main turbo-propeller on the forward end of the body of the aircraft;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. '1 is a sectional view substantially on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is substantially the same as Fig. 6 except that the parts are in retracted position;-

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view substantially onthe line 9-901! Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is'a sectional view substantially mine line lO-IO of Fig. 2, the parts being in extended position Fig. 11 is substantially the same as Fig. 10 except that the parts arein retractedposition;

the same as Fig. 3 except substantially on the Fig. 14 is a detail sectional view substantiallyon the line l4l4 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 15 is a detail sectional view substantially on the line |5-l5 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 16 is a detail sectional view substantially on the line iii-46 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 17 is a detail sectional view; f

Fig. 18*is a. detail sectional view b'stantially on the line iii-48 of Fig. 3; a

Fig. 19 is a detail sectional view substantially on the line l9-J9 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 20 is a detail view;

Fig. 21 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the body of the aircraft illustrating a modifled form of the propeller mechanism;

Fig. 22 is a transverse sectional view substantially on the line 22--22 of Fig. 21, and

23 is substantially the same as Fig. 21.

illustrating a further modified form.

Similar reference characters refer to similar 'parts throughout the several views of the drawrenders the propeller type.of propulsion efficient but, at high altitudes and particularly in the stratosphere, the rare atmosphere causes this form of propulsion to become relatively ineflicient.

Highly satisfactory results may be obtained at such altitudes and in the stratosphere by directly exhausting gases at high velocity or what is known as rocket propulsion and high speeds of the aircraft may be obtained thereby. With my improved aircraft, both of these methods of propulslon'have been incorporated and they may be used selectively or simultaneously.

when operating at high speeds, whether by rocket propulsion or otherwise, it is desirable that the air resistancebe reduced to the minimum and this may be largely eifected by the use of streamdine construction and the elimination of H projecting parts wherever possible.

The general construction Referring particularly to F18 to 4, the casing of theaircraft is of stream line form in- L order that wind resistance may be reduced to a minimum, except .that ,the under portion thereof as at'iimay be somewhat flattened in order to produce a lifting action at high speeds. The walls may be of any suitable construction and, in view of the high altitudes in which the craft may be operated and the low temperature there encoun 5 tered, it is desirable that the same be substantially air-tight and provided with some form of heat insulation. A satisfactory type of wall construction is illustrated in detail in Fig. 17 in which a layer of felt as 32 or-other light non-conductor of heat is provided between the outer casing 33 and aninner wall 34. Between this wall 34 and an inside wall 35 may be provided an air space as 35 which may be cellular'in form and this acts to furnish additional heat insulation while 1 adding little to the weight of the aircraft. A similar arrangement may be utilized in the wings. Windows as 31, 38, 35, "and H are provided to give to the operators observation in practically all directions, and these are flush with the outer surface of the casing and form a continuation thereof. The windows 31 and 35 respectively-provide forward and upward observation. Side observation is provided by the windows 35. Downv ward observation is procured through-the windows 45 and rearward view is obtained through the windows M in the trailing edge of the wings.

Shiftable mirrors as 42 may be provided to en'- able the operator to look through the windows 45 and 4I, the position of the mirror being shifted by turning a crank 43. F

The fuselage of the aircraft is provided with oppositely extending wings '44 and 45, landing wheels 45, tail skid 41, elevators and a vertical rudder 45. The wings 44 and 45 are extensible and to this end are provided with corresponding movable sections or tips 55 which are arranged to telescope within the main wing so that when the' craft is being driven athigh speed and less wing surface isnecessary, these wing tips may be partially or wholly withdrawn within the wing proper and thus permit of increased speed due to the diminished air resistance. Various methods may be provided for extending and withdrawing the wing tips as, for example, by means of a screw shaft 5i (Fig. 3) moved longitudinally in either direction by a journaled nut 5I'a thereon having spur gear teeth meshing with the teeth of a driv-.

ingpinion 52,0n a shaft 53 rotated from a handle tially air-tight joint may be provided between the movablesections or tips and the corresponding wingswithin which they fit as by suitable packing; or a-diaphragm 550 may be 'used to maintain air atf normal pressure in the aircraft. Ailerons 55 may be provided in .each of the extensible tips 55 to be operated from the control wv stick by/a telescoping shaft 55a, arms 55b and 55c and connecting link 55d. The main wings 44 and 45 may likewise-be provided with ailerons to be used when the wing tips 55 are in their retractedposition (Fig. 4) These may be operated from the control stick in the usual manner. 7

Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 3 and 18-20, the elevators 45 are operated from the control ,stick through the medium of :1 rod 51 which is connected by a crank .arm 55 to a shaft 55 extendlog transverselyjpf the bodyin an air-tight housing 55. The opposite'ends of this shaft 55 are splined within sleeves 5i upon which the elevators l are fixed. These elevators are adapte'd'to-be partialiy withdrawn withinthe housing I (Fig. 3).

15: by means of a crank 52 conveniently 54 within the body of the aircraft. Rotation of this shaft 53 causes both wing tips to be simultaneously withdrawn or extended. A substan,--:*

withinthebodyoftheaircraft. Thiscrankrotates a shaft 53 on which is secured a pinion 54 coacting with racks 55 and 55 on the bars 51 and 55 disposed respectively above and below the pinion to simultaneously cause these bars to move 5 inwardly or outwardly and to carry with them the corresponding elevators 45. .lhis movement of the bars 51 and 55 and the elevators carried thereby is permitted by the sliding movement of the sleeves 5I on'the shaft 55, the sleeves beinglO supported in suitable bearings 55 in the outer portion of the bars. Rotation of the crank 52 and shaft 53 likewise causes the rudder 45 to be re.- tracted or extended in the same manner as and simultaneously with the elevators 45. This is'lo accomplished through the medium of a pinion 15 on the shaft 53 which coacts with a rack 1I mounted one. frame 12 in which the rudder 45 is supported. This rudder is rotated by means of a shaft 13 on which it is splined and which 20 passes through suitable bearings 14 in the upper portion of the frame 12. To the lower portion of this shaft 13 is secured an arm 15 to whichis connected an operating rod 15 leading from the control stick. Referring to Fig. 20, the rudder 45 U operates in an opening 11 in thecasing 35 of fuselage which may be closed at all times by doors 15 and 15 disposed on opposite sides thereof and adapted -to swing therewith. Thesedoors may be held against the rudder by springs 55. 30 These doors 15 and 15 are movable in corresponding chambers 5i and 52 formed in the casing (Fig. 19). Similar doors as 53 and close the openings provided for each of the elevators 45.

Referring to Fig.1, the supporting wheels 45 86 are mounted on shock absorbers 55, one element of which isattached to worm wheel segment members 5I with which mesh worms 52 fastened to shafts having crank handles 53 mounted thereon. By turning the cranks 53 the wheel may be retracted into the body of the raft. In the bottom wall 3I of the casing 3 is provided an opening 54 through which the wheels swing in moving to the retracted position, as illustrated in dot and dash lines in Fig. 1. arranged to be closed by a sliding door 55 after the wheels and frame have been retracted. This door is preferably intended to form an air-tight seal for the opening 54. The tail skid 41 is likewise adapted to be retracted through the medium of a crank'or handle 55 mounted on operating shaft 51, worm 55, worm wheel 55, shaft I55, pinion Ill and rack I52, the rack being formed on or attached to the upper portion of the tail skid.

Y edge with a propelier l I5 and adjacent the trailing edge'with a propeller II1. These propellers are driven by corresponding turbines as H5, H5

' and I25 and these turbines are in turn driven g5 by gases which are emitted at high ,velocity from one or more combustion chambers conveniently arranged within the aircraft and the wings. For the sake of illustrationthe turbine H5 is' shown in detail in Fig. 5 of the drawings and a descrip- 7 tion of this will-apply equally to the-other tur-U bines as the construction and arrangement are substantially the same. Gases or vapors such'as oxygen and-a hydrocarbon enter the combustion chamber as l2ifthrough flexible supply D M I32 This opening is v aosasss and I23 respectively connected to sources of supply (not shown) located atconvenient points within the body of the aircraft. The gases resulting from combustion within the chamber I2I pass out therefrom through one or more nozzles- I24 and, upon leaving the nozzles, impinge successively upon movable turbine blades I25 and fixed turbine blades I20 and exhaust into the atmosphere through suitably arranged passages I21 in'the turbine head. The fixed blades I26 are secured upon the central shaft I28 and the movable blades I25 are carried by the rotatable head or easing I20 upon the outside of which are Preferably, in order to obtainefllciency from the a relatively high velocity gases, the blades have a low angle relative to the axis of the blast. The

method. of igniting the combustible fuel within the chamber I2I will depend largely upon the form offuel used and any'suitable type of ignition means may beprovided. p

The aircraft may be propelled at a very high speed by the reaction of gases exhausting-from a nozzle or nozzles at h ghvelocity. This is commonly referred t sotermed hereinafter. To this end there is provided in the rear portion of the casing 30 (Fig. 1) a combustion chamber I3I similar in character to the combustion chamber I2I operating. the turbine H8, but which has one ormore nozzles or vents I32 communicating directly with the atmosphere at or near the .tail of the aircraft. Undercertain conditions it may be advisable to use both the propeller and the rocket means of propulsion, andit'is noted that the-rocket pros puls'ion .is relatively moreeflicient at high altiprovided with 'a'peripheral groove or channel posed lugs I mounted on laterally projecting. armsI4I --on the casing -I20, the arms forming tudes, as in the stratosphere, by reason of the fact that the rearward velocity of the gases is greater when the air density is lesser.

Withdrawal of the turbo-propelled: when the aircraft is being propelled by rocket action alone, or by one orv more but not' all of the propellers, with or without rocket propulsion, the parasite resistance may be materially reduced by withdrawing the inactive propellers into I the fuselage or wings. vAlso, in'order to reduce parasite resistance, the wing extensions 50 may be withdrawn and, furthermore, the tail surfaces and elevators 48 as well as the rudder 48 may be "partially withdrawn. The complete or partial withdrawal of any of the foregoing will be effected at-such times as desired by the pilot, consistent with themaintenance of flotation and/or of lateral, longitudinal and axial stability of the aircraft. Various arrangements and modes of withdrawing the tube-propellers may be provided. Referring particularly to Figs. 3 andrfi, it will be seen that the 'shaftil28 onwhich is mounted the turbine I I3 is supported by the end walls I33 and I34 of .a housing I35 within which is enclosed the combustion chamber I2I. This housing is slidable longitudinally withina guide frame I36 on the forward end of which is carried a collar I31 I38. The blades of the propeller I II are mounted upon stud: shafts I33 supported by oppositely-dis- I reversing therotation of the handle I48. When ocket action and will be shoulders to prevent the blades from swinging forwardly beyond their vertical position, receiving the thrust of the propeller. Each of the propeller blades is provided with a projecting finger I42'which enters the channel I38 in the collar 5 I31 so that when the collar I31 is pushed forv wardly the blades of the propeller will swing inwardly substantially into the folded position shown in Fig. 4. This. folding of the blades is accomplished by a screw I43 which is threaded 10 7 through the rear wall I44 of a slide frame I381: and which has its forward non-threaded end retained within the head I34 by'a key I45 projecting into a groove I46 in the screw. The slide frame I 36a is rigidly connected at its forward end. to the collar I31 so as to move the same.

Referring to Fig. 3, the screw I43.m ay be rotated by a crank or handle I" conveniently located within the body of the aircraft. To permit the folding of the blades, the casing or head I28 is first moved forwardly sumciently to enable the blades to swing into folded position without coming in contact with the forward end of the casing 30 of the fuselage. This is accomplished by means of a pinion I48 coacting with a rack tn the shaft I28. This'pinion is operated from a crank 01' handle I49 withiri' the body of the aircraft. Thehead with folded propellersis then' withdrawn within the body of the aircraft by 30 completely withdrawn; the parts are in the positic-n indicated in Fig. 4. The opening I50 in the nose of the casing 30 is then closed by asuitable sliding door as I5I (Fig. 1) which may be operated by a handle l52 or in any other suitable manner. The door I5I is preferably shaped to conform to the stream line of the body.

In order that the opening I50 may be as small as possible, it is desirable that the propeller should be stopped in a horizontal position after 40 the power is shut off, and thus the side portions of this opening may be in the form of elongated slots (Fig. 13) of a width only sufflcient to permit the blades to pass therethrough. This may a be accomplished in various ways, but in the pres- '45 ent instance a lug as' I53 (Figs. 5 and 1-4) is I formed on the inside of; the nose of the casing I29 which will act as a stop to engage a latch I54 projecting forwardly from the shaft I28 and mounted on the end of a rod I55 slidable axially 50 withinthis shaft. This latch-is in theform of a plate whichis supported in a slot I50 in ahead I51 securedon the end of the shaft I28. The inner end .of the rod I55 is bent laterally as at I58 and projects through a slot I59 in the shaft ,to form a finger-which is pressed by a spring I60 normally acting to hold the latch out of engagement with the lug I53. The forward move--" merit of the frame I36a to foldthe blades, causes the latch to be moved outwardly into engage- 80 ment with the lug as the laterally turned end I58 of the rod I55 is in engagement with the shoulder IGI at the end of the slot I59.

' The turbines H8 and 'I20'may be withdrawn into the wings in a manner similar to the with- 6;.

drawal ofthe turbine II8 on the'nose of the fuselage, but in the present instance the blades of the propellers II 6 and III are not foldable. Referring particularly to Figs, 2 and 3, it will be seen that the leading edges of the wings 44 and45 are--provided with elongated slots I10 of sufficient dimensions to permit the corresponding turbine and propeller to enter and" move rearwardly therein when the-propeller is in a horizontalpositlon or thatindicated in- Fig. 2 of the 76- v portion of the wing, this edge portion may be, cut away as at I13 and the housing I12 located forwardly thereof. A tubular casing as I14 (Fig. extends from front to rear through the wing 10 and it is within this casing that the t'urbines slide. The construction of the turbines H9 and I20 is substantially identical with that of the turbine II8 so that no further description is necessary. Housings I15.and I18 for the turbines .II9 and I respectively fit within the casing I14 and are slidable therein. These housings I15 and I18 enclose the combustion chambers I11 and I18 from which the gasesare projected into the turbines through the nozzles I19 and I80. The

.20 fuel is conducted to these combustion chambers through suitable .fiexible pipes as I80a from sources of supply. locatedat some convenient point within the aircraft.

The initial rearward movement of certain parts hereinafter described causes a finger I8I to bev brought into the path of a lug I 82 on the nose .of the turbine to stop the blades of the propeller in the proper position to enter theslot I10. This movement of the finger I8I is provided by engag'ement of a finger I83 with a corresponding finger I84 which draws rearwardly the pull rod I85 on which the fingers I8I and I83 are formed;

A spring I85 normally acts to yieldingly hold the fingers I8I and I82 out of engagement when the turbine is operating. The finger I84 is attached to or formed on a rearwardly extending rack bar I81 which is connected to the rear end of the housing I15 by a pin and slot joint I81a which provides the limited relative movement to cause 40,. the finger I84 to engage and move the rod I85 as described. This rack bar is actuated by a pinion I88. The rear turbine I20 is provided with a latching device I89 which acts in the same manner to stop the propeller in proper position .45 to enter the wing. This turbine is withdrawn by a rack I90 which is actuated by a pinion I9I, the shafts I93 and I94 carrying the pinions I88 and I9I being operatively connected by a. chain or belt as I92. The shaft I94 is the driving mem- 50. her and, by reference to Fig. 3, it will. be seen that this may be operated from. the crank or handle I95 within the body of the aircraft. This same shaft I94 acts to withdraw the turbines H9 and I20 in the opposite wing .44 in the same man- 55. ner and simultaneously with the withdrawal in the wing .45. It will be obvious that separate withdrawing means may be provided to enable certain propellers to be stopped and withdrawn while other propellers remain in operation. The

60; turbines andpropellers in withdrawn position are shown in Fig.4 of the drawings. If air' is to be .used in the combustion of the fuel within the chambers I11 and I18, this may be supplied by providing one or more funnels as 200 in the for- 65: ward edges of the wings connected to the various combustion chambers by means of pipes as 2!. When the turbines and propellers are withdrawn within the wings in the manner described, itis advisable that some form of door be pro- 70; vided to close each of the openings so that the -'air resistance may be maintained as low as possible and the stream line retained. One method of accomplishing this is illustrated in Figs. 3 and '8 of the drawings in which a door 202- mount- 75; ed on the inner end of the wing tip 50 slides lon lar plates 'as 201 may be provided on the turbine 2 casing I18. for the samepurpose.

' therefor.

gitudinally of the wing in suitable guides as 203 and 204 to close the openings I10 and 200 in the leading edge as the wing tip is retracted. A wing section as 205 may be moved by the wing tip 50 in a similiar manner tofill the cut away portion I13. As the wing section 205 moves a less distance than the wing tip 50, the inward movement'of this section may be accomplished by a spring 205a acting against an arm 20512 on the section 205. when the wing tip moves to ex- 19 tended position, the section 205 is drawn into the wing, as indicated in Fig. 3, by a rod 2950- connected at its .outerend' to the inner end of the wing tip andhaving its inner end slidably passing through the arm 205b, the inner end of 15 this rod 2050 being headed with a head larger than the opening in the arm 20% through which the rod passes. Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, it will be seen that laterally projecting plates as 205 may be provided on opposite sides of the turbine 20 casing I15 so that when'the turbines are in their extended position as in Fig.. 6, these plates will form astr'eam line' closure for. the slot I10 in the manner best shown in Figs. 6 and 9. Simi- In Figs. 21 to 23 inclusive, ,are shown modifij cations of the aircraft structure in which the turbines for the main driving propellers are enclosed within the body or fuselage '225 of the air- 30 craft and the propeller bladesproject from and. may be withdrawn into such fuselage. This simplifies the stream lining of the aircraft and facilitates the withdrawal of the propeller blades.

- Referring particularly to Fig. 21, the casing 225 35 of'the fuselage is provided with a central longi-- tudinal shaft 226 which forms the main support Two sets of propeller blades 221 and 228 project through an annular slot 229 in the casing, 'the blades of one set preferably rotating 40 in the opposite direction from the other set in order to equalize torque on the aircraft and ob- -iain mor efiicient driving action. The blades 221 are d ven by a turbine 23I and the blades 228, by a turbine 232. v

In the turbine 23I. the blades 2 33 are fixed upon a rotatable drum 234 mounted upon the shaft 228 and provided with suitable anti-friction bearings as 235. The blades 236 are mounted.upon.a fixed drum 230 which may be part of the casing 225 of the aircraft. The gases which furnish propulsion for thejturbine 23I are supplied from a combustion chamber 231 suitably located within the fuselage and provided with one or more nozzles 238 through which the gases are projected against the blades of the turbine. Pipes 239 and 240 conduct the fuel and oxygen from the respective sources of supply (not shown) to the chamber 231 where they are ignited as in the forms previously described.

The turbine 232 is similarly provided with blades 2 mounted on a rotatable drum 242 and blades 243 on the fixed drum 243a. The gases to operate this turbine enter the turbine casing through the nozzle 244 from the combustion chamber 245, the fuel and oxygen entering this chamber 245 through flexible pipes 246 and 241 respectively. Suitable fixed frames as 248 and 249 support the casing'225 in the vicinity of the propeller blades and theldrums 230 and 243a are integral therewith. These frames are mounted upon the central shaft .228. Similar frames as 250 may be provided at 0 er points to support this casing.

Casing sections 25I and 252 in the form of overlapping rings rotate with the blades 221 and 228' respectively and form an enclosure for the opening in the casing in which the propeller blades travel. In order to permit the blades 221 and 228 to be withdrawn within the body of the aircraft, these blades may be arranged .to slide radially upon disks 254 and 255 forming portions of the rotors of the turbines 23l and 232.

The inner ends of the propeller blades 221 and:

10: 228 are provided with blocks 258 and 251 having tenons which dovetail in correspondingly formed 'or inwardly has a further advantage in that the radial guideways 258 and 258' in the disks 254 l and 255 respectively, the blocks being slidable in such guideways. The extension and with- 1| drawal of the blades is provided by screws 288 the sleeve in the opposite direction engages the racks 284 and 288 and extends the blades. The shifting of the sleeve 288 may be accomplished in any suitable manner as by a longitudinally slidable rod 288 carrying at its end a grooved collar 218 which engages the dnner extremity of a finger 2" attached to the sleeve 288 and projecting through a slot 212 in thewallof the shaft 228.

In order to enable the casing to be completely closed when the propellers are withdrawn, suitable sliding doors as 213 (Fig. 22) may be provided in the casing sections or rings .25l and 252 respectively, two doors being shown for each.

blade opening. These doors 213 preferably conform in shape to the stream line casing and slide in corresponding chambers 214. Springs as 218 may be provided to cause these doors to con-.'

stantly press against the propeller blades and completely close the openings as soon as the propeller is sufficiently withdrawn to permit. The

. doors preferably form air-tight closures for the openings as already described in connection with similar parts.

50 In Fig. 23 is shown a further modification somewhat similar to the one shown in Figs. 21

and 22, but differing principally in that the sets of blades 288 and 28l are caused to rotate inopposite directions by a single turbine as 282. In 88 the turbine 282 alternating sets of blades rotate in opposite directions, the blades 283 rotating in one direction and blades 284 in the reverse direc-- tion. The turbine blades 283 are carried by a .revoluble sleeve 285 upon which is mounted a disk 288 carrying the propeller blades 28!. The blades 284 are mounted upon the inner surface of a drum 281 which is integral with a disk 288 carrying the propeller blades 288. This turbine is operated by gases generated in a combustion chamber 288 and projected into the turbine through a nozzle 388. After impinging upon the blades 283 and 284 of'the turbine, the gases pass into the space between the disks 288 and 288 and enter an exhaust tube or passage as 38l. The gases exhausting through the tube 381 may be caused to pass into a hollow space as 381 within the walls of the main casing'388 of the aircraft, and thus form an effective means of heating the aircraft. This space 381 may terminate in an 281. These racks are mounted upon a sleeve The disks 288 and 288 are revolubly mounted upon a fixed central shaft 382 supported within the body of the aircraft as at 388 with its axis coincident with the longitudinal axis of such body. The blades 288 and 281 are respectively 5 caused to move inwardly or outwardly by rack members 384 and 385 shiftable laterally by a rod 388 within the fixed shaft 382. The ability to move the propeller blades 288 and 28i outwardly blades may be fully extended at high elevations where the air is rare, thus presenting a relatively large working surface, orpartially withdrawn at lower altitudes where the greater density of the air offers greater resistance. This, also applies to the propeller construction shown in Figs. 21 and 22.

Still referring to Fig. 23, the wings comprise connecting portions 388 and 3|8, of proper airfoil travel about their axis. Similarly, movement of camber in cross section, which support amain airfoil portion 3 also of proper camber leaving a space 3l2 through which the blades 288 and 29! pass. l 1 From the foregoing description it will be evident that the aircraft forming the subject matter ofgthe. present invention is simple and practical in construction and capable of eflicient operation underpractically all conditions. The form of propulsion may be readily changed in flight to provide'the most effective means for the particular-conditions under which the aircraft is operating at the time. The turbo-;-propeller construction in which the turbine forms a part of the propeller provides a simple, compact and emcient'type of propulsion. The propellers may be 85 partially or completely withdrawn into the aircraft and effective means are provided to close all openings in the casing so that normal atmospheric pressure may be maintained at all times therein. The stream line form of the doors and 40 windows offers a minimum of air resistance and the arrangement of the windows permits vision in. all dire tions. The mirrors facilitate the use of these wi dows. The insulating of the walls of the casing protects the occupants from exposure 1 casing. The wings are extensible and retractand the main wings.

able in accordance with the conditions under which the aircraft is operating and air-tight joints are provided "between the wing extensions 88 Thecontrolling elements such as the elevators, rudder, etc. may be extended or retracted in accordance with the speed and atmospheric conditions. In the forms of the aircraft in which the propeller is folded for with- 0 drawal, this may be readily accomplished from within the aircraft. Simple means are provided to lock the propeller in the proper position for withdrawal. .As many possible embodiments may the above invention and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not. in a 10 limiting sense.

4 I claim':

1. In an aircraft, propulsion apparatus comprising propeller blades projecting from the fuseope in (not shown) t the ea of the rcraf lage, and turbine blades associated therewith-and 76 be made of U cular in cross-section whereby the turbine blades travel in a circle nearly as large in diameter as the propeller blades, there being direct drive connection between said separate sets of blades and the turbine being housed in the fuselage for reduction of parasite resistance, and means for moving said blades in a radial direction to expose more or less of their propeller surfaces for action] upon the air.

3. An aircraft comprising a torpedo shaped fuselage, a pair of propellers mounted coaxially with said fuselage and with each other the blades whereof describe arcs around said fuselage with the pitch of the blades of the respective propellers oppositely disposed, and twosets of turbine blades associated with said ropellers one set being direct connected to onpropeller and the other set being direct connected to the other propeller and each set being located near the periphery of the fuselage whereby the turbine blades travel in a circle nearly as large in diameter as the propellers, and gas discharge means to actuate the turbine blades housed in the fuselage for reduction of parasite resistance.

4. Aircraft propulsion apparatus comprising, in combination, streamline housing structure having a fore and aft axis, prime mover mechanism mounted within said housing structure and including a rotatable driving element mounted coaxial with the aforesaid fore and aft axis,'the housing structure having a substantially circular cross-section adjacent the said driving element, a pair of propeller blades each direct connected to the said rotatable driving element for rotation therewith but each movable radially, guides permitting said radial movement, and screws extending radially revolution of which moves said blades radially, whereby to vary the effective pro-' peller area.

5. Aircraft propulsion apparatus comprising, in combination, streamline housing structure having a fore and aft axis, prime mover mechanism mounted within said housing structure and including a rotatable driving element mounted coaxial with the aforesaid fore and aft axis,-. the

housing structure having a substantially circular cross-section adjacent the said driving element, a pair of propeller blades each direct connected to the said rotatable'driving element for rotationv therewith but each movable radially, guides permitting said radial movement, screws extending radially revolution of which moves said blades radially, and a non-rotating control for actuating said screws to vary the effective propeller area while the propeller is rotating by moving the blades radially.

- ROBERT H. GODDARD. 

